Moore, Vinnie: To the Core

Delaware born guitar hero, Vinnie Moore, it's been a long time in between solo discs! From the old days of jumping into L.A. Metal band, Vicious Rumors (remember that record?) to start out his career, to joining the influential Hard Rock band, UFO, but Vinnie's latest release, To The Core (Mascot Records) is a look deeper inside of some of the other types of musical forms that fuel his music. Not at all like the "shredfest" CDs earlier in his career; To The Core is a much more expressive and controlled CD that features Vinnie exploring R&B, Jazzy Bebop and Rock.

To The Core features alongside Vinnie, drummer extraordinaire Van Romaine, Black Label Society bass player, John (JD) Deservio, and keyboard player Tim Lehner, and this line up sounds very much like a tight, cohesive band. With 11 tracks in all Vinnie Moore manages to show off a much more mature and expansive style all over this CD. From the Middle Eastern feel of "Transcendence" to the breathy, sultry, Saxophone filled "Soul Caravan", Mr. Moore shows that not only has his guitar playing matured, but his songwriting has also. There really is a little bit of everything found on To The Core. Check out the cool Dobro sounding slide guitar on "Jigsaw", the searing guitars on "Remorse" or the laid back class of the acoustic driven "Over My Head", this is a very diverse CD full of great, tasty guitar playing.

Vinnie Moore has always been an amazing guitarist, from back when I first heard him in that old Pepsi commercial back in the early '80's where he did the solos and the close ups were all on his hands, to Vicious Rumors, to his solo career and UFO, Vinnie has delivered awe inspiring performances throughout his career and his work on To The Core is no different. And the fact that Moore has pulled back a bit with the shredding has added a Jeff Beck-ish type of dimension to his playing. I for one enjoy this most controlled, more mature Vinnie Moore. To The Core is filled with 11 tracks that will take you on a journey of their own, and is pretty much an effort that was well worth the 10 year wait in between solo releases.

Track Listing
1. Fly
2. Panic Attack
3. Off The Hook
4. Transcendence
5. Soul Caravan
6. Jigsaw
7. Remorse
8. Tailspin
9. Over My Head
10. Into The Open Highway
11. Into The Sunset

Added: May 17th 2009
Reviewer: Butch Jones
Score:
Related Link: Artist Website
Hits: 4811
Language: english

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